Zhou Dafu carried a forked branch in one hand and a net in the other. Sure enough, he caught the snake at the usual spot. He chuckled and headed toward Cave No. 5, ready to execute the plan.
"Hands up. Don't move." A pitch-black gun barrel pressed against his head. He froze, heart thudding. He thought the snake theft had been exposed. "I… I was only helping to catch the snakes that got out…"
"Waa, waa, you all saw that, right? It must be this man framing me. I'm a weak woman who can't even tie up a chicken. How could I subdue two snakes…" The naked woman sobbed miserably, then shot a vicious sidelong glare at Qin Feifei, who was standing by to watch.
Li Yuetian rubbed his brow. Why were there so many problems in his jurisdiction? The dead man wasn't from Wu City, but a rich young master from another province. Either way, He had to close the case quickly, define the culprit, and hand in a report.
To prove her innocence, the woman hurried to say, "He's Zhou Daheng's cousin. Zhou Dafu has coveted his property for a long time, so he set me up. Once the deed was done, he planned to seize everything. Look, stealing the snakes was only the first step."
Zhou Dafu: "???"
"Cuff him. Take him in." One of Li Yuetian's classic lines.
Zhou Dafu stammered, "Wait, what's going on?"
…
On the other side, Zhou Dasheng was getting beaten up.
All because he had snapped "What if I am?" when someone asked, "What are you looking at?" In the Northeast, saying that was the highest form of challenge, basically "come fight me if you're not convinced."
None of the fifty men with Zhou Dasheng escaped a beating. They were all pinned to the ground and pummeled. Still, under the creed of "even if the script changes, you stick close to the script," he insisted on waiting for Zhou Dafu to deliver the snakes so they could frame Jing Shu's family.
So even after the thrashing, the fifty men squatted there and refused to leave. Zhou Dasheng had promised them a bowl of rice porridge apiece if they stayed.
But Zhou Dafu never brought the snakes…
Soon the fifty men were groaning on the ground, unable to get up.
Jing Shu and Wu You'ai both sensed that something was off. While Cave No. 5 boiled with noise, a swarm of police and chattering onlookers poured in from Cave No. 4.
Word spread with suspicious speed, intentional or not: the rich man from Cave No. 4, Zhou Daheng, had been murdered for his wealth. Within minutes, all of Hongshan Ecological Park knew.
"Where's Wu You'ai? Zhou Dafu from Cave No. 6 committed a crime. Help manage Cave No. 6 for now until we assign a new administrator."
Wu You'ai hurried over to do a quick handover. Jing Shu followed and finally learned what had happened. Zhou Daheng had been murdered by his cousin, Zhou Dafu. The case would be processed and closed.
"At ten tonight we'll auction Zhou Daheng's belongings on site in Cave No. 4 in exchange for grain. Anyone in need can take a look."
Leaving that announcement behind, Li Yuetian marched off with the team, leaving two staffers to guard Zhou Daheng's property.
On the other side, Zhou Dasheng was dumbfounded. Was he holding the wrong script? The snakes hadn't been stolen in, and somehow Zhou Dafu had become the killer. His beady eyes flickered. His mind began to race. Maybe this was his chance to rise?
Jing Shu narrowed her eyes. The development was surprising, but it hadn't derailed her expectations. Still, Li Yuetian looked eager to shed all of Zhou Daheng's assets as fast as possible, as if shaking off a hot potato.
Why was Zhou Dafu tied into this mess anyway? Jing Shu glanced at Zhou Dasheng, who was clearly plotting something. Did the cousins have secrets they couldn't air?
The rich neighbor dying next door would, at most, become idle gossip.
"Best to keep a low profile."
"Otherwise this is what happens. Someone kills you for your money."
Jing Shu's family remained unaffected. That night they used the earthen kiln to cook a fragrant meal, boiled powdered milk, then mixed filtered tea into the milk for a delicious milk tea.
They sliced cooked beef and dipped it in sauce, paired it with vinegar-pickled garlic scapes, and served spicy dried rabbit.
At nine-thirty, Li Yuetian came back looking exhausted. The vast Cave No. 4 was jam-packed with onlookers.
To put it bluntly, Zhou Daheng's things were the kind that the poor couldn't afford and the rich didn't need. Most were here to gawk and try to pick up bargains.
Her parents took a quick look and went home. Wu You'ai was busy managing the newly added crowd. As for those fifty men from earlier, they had no good end to their day and were driven back to squeeze into Cave No. 6.
At ten o'clock, the staff cleared Cave No. 4. "Anyone who wants to enter the auction must present proof of assets. Minimum of ten kilograms of grain."
People grumbled, but no one dared to protest. Most had only come to watch anyway. In an instant, ninety percent of the crowd was out. Jing Shu hefted a big pork leg and slipped easily into the "auction."
Li Yuetian hobbled over and shook hands with Jing Shu. "Tell me what you want. We're all friends here."
Jing Shu understood at once. The "auction" was a show for the public and higher-ups. The real purpose was to divide the spoils. If they carted everything back to the Second Detachment without the auction, when the investigation traced things later, they would have to return it all.
Now everyone knew that after Zhou Daheng's death, his belongings had been "auctioned." How would anyone trace them back? They weren't confiscated; they were sold. What, should the grain proceeds be remitted somewhere?
Jing Shu rubbed her hands. "I want that batch of light steel."
Li Yuetian waved grandly. "Deal. We'll trade it for your pork trotter."
That was a steal.
"Captain Li, what happened to your leg?"
"Don't bring it up. It's an old cold injury. Every time a storm blows in, my leg aches. It's acting up these days. I happened to catch two snakes today and figured I'd brew some snake wine, but I don't know the process, and I'm short on other ingredients." Li Yuetian thumped his thigh.
Jing Shu's eyes lit up. "I can brew snake wine, and I've got some other ingredients too."
"Perfect. I'll have them bring the snakes to you. I don't need much. Just share a little of the snake wine with me and I'll be grateful. Amitabha."
The process was even simpler than Jing Shu had expected. After Zhou Daheng died, the person most eager to wrap everything up turned out to be Li Yuetian.
In less than a day the case was finalized. The culprit was identified as the cousin who had infiltrated Zhou Daheng's side. He had plotted for a year and tried to frame those around him to escape. But heaven's net is wide and nothing slips through. In the end, Zhou Dafu slipped up and was arrested.
That night, Zhou Dafu tried to escape, resisted, and was shot dead. Zhou Daheng's property was "auctioned" off the same night. The next day, the file was transferred up the chain.
While news of Zhou Daheng's case roared through the park, Zhou Dasheng led people to Jing Shu's villa in the dead of night.